A gateway to discovering and tracking the descendants of the original New Netherland Brouwer progenitors, namely Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Jan (or Johannes) Brouwer of Flatlands and Willem Brouwer of Beverwijck (Albany). As well as some diversions covering other Brewer and Brower families with origins in Colonial America

Sunset at Gowanus Bay

Sunset at Gowanus Bay, Henry Gritten, 1851

Saturday, September 29, 2018

In yesterday's post I mention that Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) did not have a Y-DNA Haplogroup tree that was available online to the general public, that is those who do not have an account with FTDNA. Up until two days ago that was the case. This has now changed. I picked this up from the DNAeXplained blog post of September 27 (two days ago). And here in lies an example of the benefit in following select blogs - Family Tree DNA has the link to access this tree in a rather obscure place on their website's main page. I would not have learned this without the help of DNAeXplained.

To find the link to the haplotree, you have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of FTDNA's main page, past the solicitations for their products, to the link which is found under "Community" and is labeled, Y-DNA Haplotree. You also do not want to be signed in to your own Family Tree DNA account (if you have one). For whatever reason, the link does not appear at the bottom of the main page when one is logged in to their account (go figure!). Having this public Y-DNA tree available is a good thing and I will direct you, once again to the September 27, 2018 post at DNAeXplained (authored by Roberta Estes) for detailed instructions and guidance on how to use the new haplotree. Included there are tips on how to set up your account at FTDNA so that your results will be included in the haplotree. Here is a direct link to FTDNA's public haplotree (be patient, it may take a minute to load).

Members of the Brewer DNA Project, and those searching for Brewers and Browers, can use the FTDNA haplotree to see just where Brewers and Browers are found on the tree. First it must be pointed out that the haplotree includes only those tested by FTDNA who have either taken a BigY test, or who have had their Y-DNA haplogroup confirmed by a test. If you have taken a Y-DNA test, but have only been assigned to a predicted haplogroup, you will not be included on this tree. Therefore, many of the current 337 members of the Brewer DNA Project are not represented on the tree.

So, to find the Brewers. You will note that the haplotree allows you to view it in three different formats, Countries, Surnames and Variants. And just below that is a line of letters of the alphabet which represent the main branches of Y-Chromosome DNA tree, starting with A (the oldest) through to T. Presently, the Brewer DNA Project has members that fall within the haplogroups designated as E, I, J and R (see the Y-DNA chart page at the Brewer DNA Project).

Select to view the tree by Surnames. Type in Brewer in the Search by Surname space, hit enter and you will find that the page responds by informing you that the surname appears in haplogroups, E, I, J and R (small font just below the Search by Surname space). This result was expected. So far, so good. Working along that line of letters (the haplogroups) select E, scroll down and you will see Brewer and Brower both appear next to three different SNPs, E-BY6201, and two below it, E-BY6245 and E-BY6312. These are the descendants of Adam Brouwer, in the Brewer DNA Project, who have taken the Big-Y test, who have filled in their "Most Distant Known Ancestor" (i.e. their direct paternal line ancestor) and set their privacy settings to public sharing (note that account numbers and names are not displayed on the public tree). Move to the left and click on those three vertical dots, select surnames, and you'll see the number of tests accounting for this place on the haplotree. We do have 14 members of the Adam Brouwer sub-group who have taken the Big-Y test, yet only 11 are picked up by FTDNA for the haplotree, which is likely because the other three have more restrictive privacy settings, and/or have not supplied a Most Distant Known Ancestor.

Now, select I from the line of haplogroups at the top. Scroll down, and we have Brewer and White at I-15031, and just below at I-Y21524, I-Y23708 and I-Y29640. These are all members of the subgroup labeled "Lanier-Brewer" at the Brewer DNA Project.
Scroll down further and we have Brewer and Brower at I-Y7214. They are descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. Six members are accounted for here.

Now, move over to J. Scroll down. Brewer is found at J-CTS6804 and further down that branch at J-Y18828. Both SNPs are determined by descendants of Arthur Brewer, who I believed lived in North Carolina during the 1700s (I have not researched this family myself).

The last haplogroup involving members of the Brewer DNA Project is R. Select that from the line of haplogroups. Scroll down. First we hit R-M269. This is an old, "upline" haplogroup, a subhaplogroup of R-M343 which is the most frequent occurring paternal haplogroup in western Europe. There are a lot of names here, including Brewer. Further down the tree, there is Brewer at R-Y53883. There are two, who are in the Ambrose Brewer subgroup.
Scrolling down further we find Brewer at R-FGC46823. The two here are descendants of John Brewer of Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Now, go back to the Search by Surname space and replace Brewer with Brower. You'll find matches at E, I, and R. Those are E and I are covered above, but go to the R haplotree and scroll down. Brower is found at R-BY91798. The two here are descendants of Hubert Brower.

This public haplotree from FTDNA is certainly a welcomed addition. It was a long time in coming, and it is fun to use. It does not replace YFull's YTree which, along with their analysis, provides more info and is going to be more useful for the Brewer DNA Project to sort out the various branches below our known colonial period progenitors (Adam Brouwer, Jan Brouwer, Hubert Brower, Arthur Brewer, George Brewer, etc.) and so, members of the Brewer DNA Project who do take a BigY-500 test are still encouraged to set up an account and transfer their data to YFull.

Friday, September 28, 2018

The haplogroup designation for the Hubert Brower sub-group of the Brewer DNA Project has been updated. I am picking up this new information from a post by Hank Graham, administrator of the Brewer DNA Project, to the Project's Activity Feed page (only accessible to members of the Brewer DNA Project).

Previously, the Hubert Brower sub-group was represented by only one member who had taken Family Tree DNA's Big-Y test and who had their test results analyzed by YFull and placed on YFull's YTree. That one member was recognized by the terminal SNP labeled R-Y30608 which can be seen on YFull's current YTree (v6.05.13) here as a subclade of R-Z29713. This subclade (R-Y30608), according to YFull's analysis, was formed 1800 years before present (ybp) or about the year 200 AD.

A second member of the Hubert Brower sub-group has since taken the Big-Y test, and further analysis of his results by YFull now establishes the two descendants of Hubert Brower by the terminal SNP R-Y84707. This can be seen on the current YFull YTree as a subclade of R-Y30608. The estimate of Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA) as calculated by YFull is 375 ybp, or about 1625 AD. Hubert Brower came from Germany to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1726, with a wife and three sons, and was likely born during the decade prior to 1690. This estimate by YFull does pre-date our estimate of Hubert Brower's birth, however, YFull's estimate is based on the test results of only two descendants.

As of this post, the Hubert Brower subgroup has nine members who have taken Y-DNA tests with Family Tree DNA (FTDNA). As mentioned, two of those members have advanced their testing with the Big-Y test (know known as the BigY-500). FTDNA identifies the two member's common terminal SNP as R-BY91798, which is different than what YFull uses. This is a common occurrence between different Y-Chromosome analyzing companies. In fact, the two members share a number of common terminal SNPs, any one of which could have been used as the primary identifying terminal SNP on a YTree. Unfortunately, FTDNA does not publish a YTree that can be viewed online by anyone. But, we can safely assume that the two different SNPs (R-Y84707 and R-BY91798) are equivalent and probably represent the same placement (location) on any YTree.

If more descendants of Hubert Brower would take the BigY-500 test and have YFull analyze their results, we would likely see the haplogroup designation for Hubert Brower's descendants become even more defined and clear. Those interested in doing so, should contact the Brewer DNA Project at Family Tree DNA.

The link to the Hubert Brower subgroup on YFull's YTree, found at the right under Brewer Y-DNA Project, has been updated.

Josias Janszen Drats - Timeline. Josias Janszen Drats was the husband of Aeltje Brouwer, a daughter of Adam Brouwer. Descendants are found with the surname Drake. The timeline illustrates the numerous variations of Josias' surname as they appeared in the early New York records.

Images from the Brouwer Genealogy Database - This images in this "album" were all originally uploaded and available online through RootsWeb Free Pages. The links to the images were found in various source citations for individuals on the BGD. Those links should now, once again, be working. However, if they are not, the image linked to should be found in this album. This is a varied collection of 54 images. A few were linked to via the Descendants of Alice Freeman Thompson Parke website.

In addition, the Brouwer Genealogy Database includes a page titled "Images (off site)" which has links to images stored in Google Photos. Until recently many of the links here had failed. This was apparently due to Google's "retiring" of the old Picasa service. However, checking just today, it appears that the links do once again work and they will take you to various albums stored in Google Photos. The one exception is for the images of Elias Brewer's will dated 1809, which can be viewed and downloaded directly from the FamilySearch.org website (you must be logged in). Elias Brewer's will is found in Delaware Co., NY Wills, Lib. B, pp. 130-131.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Hank Graham, Administrator of the Brewer DNA Project provides the following update and status on the Adam Brouwer sub-group of the Brewer DNA Project, found at Family Tree DNA (FTDNA). [My comments in italics. In some cases, segments highlighted in bold are mine]:

Below are the seven sons of Adam Brouwer along with the five BigY (now called the BigY-500 since being upgraded to include over 500 STR marker testing) participants with known pedigrees (back to four of Adam Brouwer's seven sons). [To date, 14 members of this sub-group have taken FTDNA's BigY-500 test. Five of those members have proven pedigrees extending back to Adam Brouwer. The remaining nine have either unconfirmed pedigrees or theorized pedigrees back to Adam Brouwer which have not been proved through traditional genealogical research means].

[Also see the DNA Analysis page for the Adam Brouwer sub-group at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website. There are links to charts showing direct ancestries, as submitted by participants. Included are most, but not all, of the kit #s mentioned below. Some names found below have links that will take you to that individual's profile on the BGD. The BGD was last updated in late 2015, and newer members to the Brewer DNA Project have not been included. Unfortunately, I can no longer update the BGD].
The BigY results from members of the four known lines (above) were used to create modal values for Adam Brouwer at each of the approximately 500 STR markers. After the STR modal values for Adam were determined, BigY tests for all 14 men were compared to the modal values and any variation from the modal value was noted for each person. For two members (kits 485539 and 597589) there are no Y-DNA results between YDNA67 and YDNA111* which could minimize the variation observed for those two men. Over the approximately 500 STR markers for each person the maximal variant markers observed was seven for kit #443252 and kit #65385. The least variation was zero for kit #688377. The typical result was 3 or 4 variants per tested individual. When these rare variant results match it is very significant and is a strong indication of a common line back to a single son of Adam, but it is not absolute proof that they share a MRCA (most recent common ancestor) between Adam and the present. In some cases, multiple men shared two or more variants in the BigY test - these men descend from a common ancestor and one of Adam's sons.

Let's look at the BigY results from the 14 participants

7. Nicholas (b.1672, d. bef. 1749) - kit #491946 descends from Nicholas through his son Adolphus (b.1693) and grandson Nicholas Adolphus Brouwer (b. 1714). The man is identified as belonging to haplogroup E-BY6201** which is the common halpogroup for the Adam Brouwer sub-group. None of the other 13 tested members had a matching novel SNP with any of his novel SNPs. There are six variant STR markers in his YDNA111 and BigY results, including DYS439(=14) from the YDNA37 panel, and FTY58(=11) from the BigY-500 panel.*** Of the 13 other tested men only two match any of #491946's six variant markers. These two men, kit #N142947 with five variant results and kit #65385 with seven variant results, match both DYS439 from the YDNA37 panel and FTY58 from the BigY-500 panel - both descend from Nicholas (b.1672). To date, only kit #N142947 has completed the YFull part of the analysis. Since all three men (#491946, #N142947 and #65385) are not thought to descend from the same son of Nicholas (b.1672) both markers DYS439 and FTY58 first appeared in Adam Brouwer's son, Nicholas (b.1672).

BigY participant #65385 has five additional variant results that can provide additional information. In addition to matching marker DYS439, variant markers DYS446(=13) and DYS568(=11) appear in the YDNA67 panel and are shared with members #107708 and #285309. Looking at the pedigrees, #65385 and #285309 have a pedigree that includes Peter Brewer (b.1779) son of Jeremiah Brower/Brewer (b. 1738) and a proposed line through Jurge Brouwer (b.1701, a son of Nicholas, b. 1672). The third man does not have a pedigree that descends from Peter Brewer (b.1779). This indicates that the two markers, DYS446 and DYS568 first appeared in Nicholas' son thought to be Jurge (b.1701), or in Nicholas' grandson, Jeremiah (b.1738).**** All three of these men (#65385, #285309 and #107708) descend from Nicholas (b.1672) and one of his sons, who is thought to be Jurge (b.1701).

6. Abraham (b. by 1667) - kit #161350 has complete BigY and YFull test results, and his (known) relative kit #458438 has complete BigY results and partial results from YFull. They are in haplogroup E-BY6312 which was one of their five matching novel SNPs (the other four being BY6313, BY6315, BY6316 and Y56389) and first appeared at various times over eight generations in their common line from Abraham (b. by 1667) to their MRCA, Leon Brower (b.1893). Kit #161350 has four variant markers and #458438 has only one variant marker, which they share, DYS572(=10). They descend from Abraham Brouwer (b. by 1667) and his son Abraham (b. 1706). Another member of the Project, kit #818228 descends from Abraham (b. by 1667) and his son Jeury Brouwer (b.1700-1705). All three men are the only men of 29 tested beyond YDNA37 to have DYS572, a STR marker that first appears with Abraham Brouwer (b. by 1667). For completeness, of the three variant markers not shared with kit #458438 that appeared in the line of kit#161350 after MRCA Leon Brower (b.1893), one marker, CDY(=30-35) appears independently in the line of kit #65385. This marker is typically variable and this mutation appeared independently in two different lines (i.e. in lines descended from two different sons of Adam Brouwer).

4. Jacob (b.ca.1655, d. bef. 1706) - Kit #443252 has complete BigY and YFull results. He is in haplogroup E-BY6201 which is the common haplogroup of the Adam Brouwer sub-group and none of the 13 other members of the group had a matching novel SNP with any of his novel SNPs. He has seven variant markers, three appear in standard YDNA37, 67 and 111 panels and four from the BigY-500 panel. First, in the YDNA37 panel, his variant marker, DYS570(=18) matches kit #50688, who is a known relative with a MCRA of Isaac Brock Brower (b. 1843). This variant first appeared somewhere in the six generations from Jacob (b.ca.1655) down to Isaac Brock Brower (b.1843).

Of his seven variant markers, four are from the BigY-500 panel. Marker DYS551(=13) matches one of the two variant markers of kit #342692. This single match appears to be an early marker in the line of Jacob (b.ca.1655) but it is not currently possible to place the exact place that this marker appeared. A variant match is very significant and a strong indication of a common line back to a single son of Adam Brouwer, in this case, Jacob (b.ca.1655), but it is not absolute proof. Kit #342692 does not have any variant markers with any of the other 12 BigY tested participants and he certainly does not have the markers DYS439 or FTY58 which are associated with Nicholas (b.1672), or DYS572 which is associated with Abraham (b. by 1667).

1. Pieter (b.1646) - Kit #688377 has complete FTDNA BigY test results, but YFull results are not yet in. He has zero variant results from the modal value of Adam Brouwer as created by me based on equally weighting the values of each separate group of men and not just averaging all members. Although both results would be similar, the equally weighted method gives a better modal value for each STR marker of Adam Brouwer.

Six other members (three in haplogroup E-BY6245 and kits #485539, #597589, #669995) - This group of six does not have the markers DYS439 or FTY58, associated with Nicholas (b.1672) or DYS572, associated with Abraham (b. by 1667). None of the matching variants within this group of members is common with any of the groups examined. This group will be discussed in a separate report.

This update of BigY results for the Adam Brouwer sub-group is not a static report but will expand as more BigY participants are tested and YFull results are added. [The Adam Brouwer sub-group needs additional members to invest in taking the BigY-500 test, and it needs those who have tested but have not yet sent results to YFull to do so. Please contact the Brewer DNA Project if you have any questions on how to proceed]. "If any one reading this notices any numerical transpositions or similar errors, or omissions that should be included, please contact Hank through the Brewer DNA Project website (you may also use the Comments option for this post). I look forward to comments and will provide an analysis of the Six Member Group (mentioned above) very soon. Please encourage other Adam Brouwer sub-group members to take the BigY-500 test, or to upgrade to the YDNA67 or YDNA111 level. Several non-BigY results were helpful in better understanding the proper placement of some variant STR markers."

*Family Tree DNA's Y-Chromosome DNA tests have been gradually expanded over time since the company began offering such tests. The original Y-DNA test consisted of 12 STR markers, numbered for convenience as 1 through 12, and is referred to (at FTDNA) as YDNA12, with the results being reported as Panel 1 on the customer's STR marker results page. Subsequently, markers numbered 13-25 were offered as YDNA25 and Panel 2; markers 26-37 as YDNA37 and Panel 3; markers 38-67 as YDNA67 and Panel 4; and markers 68-111 as YDNA111 and Panel 5. During the course of the past year, FTDNA upgraded their BigY test (which initially was advertised as an advanced SNP test) to include markers 112-561 and is referred to on each members STR marker results page as Panel 6 by FTDNA, and (by me) as "the BigY-500 panel" in this post. Those members who have taken the BigY-500 but are missing the results for markers 68-111 (panel 5) should order the YDNA111 Upgrade through their FTDNA account page. I (not a descendant of Adam Brouwer) fit into this same situation (have taken the Bigy-500 but am missing panel 5) and so ordered one for myself just today (the date of this post), and the price was $29.

**A haplogroup is named for a SNP that identifies, or determines, that it is a unique haplogroup. See this page at the ISOGG Wiki. In your own direct patrilinial (or matrilinial) ancestral line you will be defined, or belong to, a succession of different haplogroups, each one being a sub-clade of the previous haplogroup when working backwards from the present to the distant past. This might best be seen at the YFull YTree page for E-Y19643. The tabs at the top of the chart, when read from right to left, are the various haplogroups, moving back in time, that define Adam Brouwer's genetic ancestry. I will also note here that while YFull uses E-Y19643 as the SNP to identify the haplogroup that (thus far) only includes Adam Brouwer's descendants, FTDNA uses E-BY6201. The two are equivalent. That is to say they both represent the same location on the YTree.

***DYS439 and FTY58, as well the other similar designations mentioned in the post, are simply alpha-numeric labels that identify individual STR markers. The number seen in parenthesis (following an = sign) is the number of repeats reported for that particular STR marker. This number is known as the allele value. DYS446 has an allele value of 14, while FTY58 has an allele value of 11.

****Jeremiah Brower/Brewer (b.1738) is assumed to be a son of Jurge Brouwer (b.1701). This belief has not been proved by traditional genealogical research and after years of searching myself, I think it highly unlikely that such proof will ever be found. This placement, however, fits best with all known facts regarding both Jeremiah and Jurge. See the post of January 26, 2013.